THURSDAY THIRTEEN #164

THIRTEEN

ILLUSTRIOUS 

ILLINOISANS

Blago, Blago, Blago! What a black eye you have given this state! Well, here I am, doing my part, to undo this grievous wrong and add a little luster to Illinois' reputation.

So here they are, 13 native-born Illinoisans who done good! I have alphabetized the list, so as not to play favorites.

1. John Belushi -- comedian, actor, original SNL castmember -- Wheaton, 1949

2. Lou Boudreau -- Hall of Fame player, manager and broadcaster -- Harvey, 1917

3. Dan Castellaneta -- Better known as the voice of Homer Simpson -- Oak Park, 1957

4. Hillary Clinton -- First Lady, NY Senator and Secretary of State -- Chicago, 1947

5. Cindy Crawford -- Supermodel -- DeKalb, 1966

6. John Deere -- He of tractor fame --  Moline, 1804

7. Betty Ford -- First Lady and activist -- Chicago, 1918

8. Ernest Hemingway -- Nobel and Pulitzer prize winning author -- Oak Park, 1899 

9. Jennifer Hudson -- Oscar winner -- Chicago, 1981

10. Ray Kroc -- Philanthropist and businessman of McDonald's fame -- Oak Park, 1902

11. Michelle Obama -- First Lady -- Chicago, 1964

12. Nicholle Thom -- the oldest daughter on The Nanny (just wanted to see if you were still reading) -- Hinsdale, 1978

13. George Will -- Pulitzer prize winning columnist -- Champaign, 1941

(No, I didn't forget Abraham Lincoln. He was born in Kentucky.)

For more information about the Thursday Thirteen,

or to play yourself, click here.

The Queen's Meme

Queen Mimi of Bloggingham is hosting an après St. Patrick's Day green meme.

1. How many green things are within your reach? Each of my earrings has a tiny green stone, and there are greens in the vase with my pink and white carnations.

2. Have you ever been green with envy? Yes.

3. Do you like split pea soup? No.

4. Have you gone green? I'm trying. I'm a good little recycler.

5. Do green Leprechauns scare you? No. In my mind they're forever connected to Lucky Charms. How can you be afraid when you're enjoying magically delicious marshmallows?

6.  What color was the Wicked Witch of The West's face in the Wizard of Oz? My best guess is PMS 377c. What do you think? Too yellow?


7. Tell us about your last experience with a frog...or a toad...or a prince. You pick. I don't recall my most recent experience, but my most memorable  occurred the summer between second and third grade. I was rolling down the shallow hill behind our summer cottage and came face to face with bug-eyed toad. I was frightened but he seemed quite copacetic with making my acquaintance and hopped away at a leisurely pace. It's funny how distinctly I remember his little countenance.

I Want Wednesday

I want him not to go. My best friend and his family for their spring getaway to Laguna Beach this coming Monday. Then on the following Sunday, I go on my spring getaway to Colonial Williamsburg. Which means we will go two weeks without talking. I hate that. BAD PLANNING!

WWW.WEDNESDAY

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading? Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney by Howard Sounes. I have high hopes for this biography, even though right now I'm still in Paul's childhood. I have noticed that, just as most biographies of Jackie Kennedy Onassis (but not this one) cover her White House years in detail but ignore the decades she lived after, Sir Paul's biographers concentrate on the Beatle years and pay scant attention to the nearly 35 years that followed.

 
• What did you recently finish reading? Another Piece of My Heart by chick-lit author extraordinaire, Jane Green. This is the tale of Andi, a newly-40 Bay Area bride who is happy with the man of her dreams, but not with his teenage daughter. For me, the most interesting character was Janice, the ex-wife, who has more dimensions that characters like hers are usually given in books like this.

• What do you think you’ll read next? The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. Book #1 in a detective series about Izzy Spellman, who is described as "part Nancy Drew, part Dirty Harry." This series gets a "thumbs up" from Kwizgiver.